Satlyt, a space technology startup with African headquarters in Nairobi, is pioneering a new approach to data infrastructure. The company builds software that enables satellites to process data and run AI applications using onboard computers—effectively transforming spacecraft into virtual data centers.
The $8 million seed funding round, led by non sibi ventures with participation from TLCOM and other investors, will fuel Satlyt’s expansion of engineering teams and deployment across more spacecraft. This addresses a critical need in Africa, which currently holds less than 1% of global data center capacity despite rapidly growing digital demand.
The traditional approach to expanding data infrastructure—building new centers on land—can cost upwards of $10 million per megawatt in Africa, with even higher expenses in markets like Nigeria. Satlyt offers a more efficient alternative by leveraging existing hardware already deployed in space.
“Running applications on existing spacecraft gives operators a way to do more with the computing power they’ve already invested,” explained Rama Afullo, Satlyt’s founder and CEO. “Our software makes these deployments practical and manageable.”
Satlyt’s technology allows satellite operators to extend the utility of their investments—transforming passive data collectors into active processing hubs. This approach mirrors how cloud computing has enabled businesses to leverage remote servers rather than build their own infrastructure.
The company already has software operating in orbit, including a successful deployment with Google where its Gemma AI model analyzed spacecraft system logs without transmitting data to Earth. With this new funding, Satlyt is poised to accelerate the development of distributed computing resources that can operate across multiple missions and even different satellite platforms.